You may be eligible to seek $500 per message under Washington State law.
Did you receive unwanted texts with referral links from companies like Capital One, Tesla, Coinbase, or Venmo? These “refer a friend” messages may violate Washington State law, and you could be eligible to pursue compensation.
Fill out the form on this page to see if you qualify to take part in a class action lawsuit for illegal text promotions.
Americans receive many unwanted commercial text messages each year, and Washington residents are no exception. While some texts come directly from companies, others are sent through “refer a friend” programs that encourage customers to share promotional links with their contacts.
These texts may appear casual — as if a friend is inviting you to join — but they function as unwanted marketing texts sent without proper consent.
Washington has strong consumer protection laws designed to curb these intrusive texts. Now, some residents are taking legal action, alleging that companies failed to obtain proper permission before sending referral promotions.
Do you qualify?
If you are a Washington resident who received a “refer a friend” text message without giving consent, you may be eligible to join an unsolicited text lawsuit. Fill out the form on this page to see if you qualify.
Fill out the form on this page for more information.
Are “refer a friend” text messages illegal in Washington?
In 1998, Washington State passed the Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA) to protect residents from unsolicited commercial emails and text messages. Under this law, businesses cannot send promotional texts to Washington residents unless the individual has affirmatively consented to receive them in advance.
While some companies follow these rules when sending direct marketing texts, some “refer a friend” programs may violate the law. These programs encourage existing customers to send referral links or promotional messages to friends and contacts. In some cases, however, companies may fail to ensure proper consent from the recipients.
Because the recipient never agreed to receive these messages in advance, “refer a friend” texts may violate Washington’s CEMA law and justify legal action.
What are the penalties for unauthorized text messages?
Under Washington’s Commercial Electronic Mail Act (CEMA), companies that send or assist in sending unauthorized text messages may be required to pay up to $500 in statutory damages for each violation.
Every unsolicited text could count as a separate violation, which means the potential compensation may multiply quickly. If a company sends a Washington resident several unwanted referral texts, the penalties can add up to thousands of dollars.
If you received referral or promotional texts without your consent, you may be eligible to join a Washington text lawsuit and pursue compensation.
Examples of unsolicited referral text messages
The text messages at issue could look like the following examples:
Capital One:
Venmo:
Tesla:
Coinbase:
Washington class action lawsuit for unwanted referral texts
If you are a Washington resident who received unsolicited “refer a friend” text messages from one of the companies listed below, you may be eligible to join a text lawsuit.
Credit cards and financial services
- Capital One
- Venmo
- Acorns
- Coinbase
- Discover
- Empower (also known as Personal Capital)
- Marcus by Goldman Sachs
- Monarch Money
- SoFi
Cars
- Tesla
Food or ride apps
- DoorDash
- Grubhub
- Instacart
- Uber or Uber Eats
Gyms
- Orangetheory
- SoulCycle
Clothing and e-commerce
- American Eagle
- ASOS
- Express
- J.Crew
- Mercari
- PacSun
- Poshmark
- Scentbird
- Shein
- Temu
- ThredUp
To find out if you qualify for an unsolicited text lawsuit, fill out the form on this page. Once submitted, legal representatives will review your information and may contact you about the next steps.
Fill out the form on this page to see if you qualify for a free case evaluation.
See If You Qualify
Join a Washington referral text message class action lawsuit investigation
Filling out this form is quick and easy. It only takes a few minutes to see if you qualify.
After you fill out the form, an attorney(s) or their agent(s) may contact you to discuss your legal rights.
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